As you may know, Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball, recently pinched Hillary Clinton's cheek and then claimed that he is not obsessed with her. But, as this story on Daily Kos shows, Matthews is not only obsessed with Ms. Clinton, he has a burning desire to belittle, denigrate, smear, malign, badmouth and vilify her. Blogger David Brock has compiled a thorough list of Matthews' offenses against Ms. Clinton (and a few other female political figures) and it's abhorrent. Some of the names Matthews has called Ms. Clinton? "She Devil," "Nurse Ratched," "Madame Defarge." (You know, the haggy, knitting, plotting character in A Tale Of Two Cities noted for being a ruthless villain?) It doesn't end there, though.

Matthews has also spouted that Clinton is "witchy," "anti-male" and "uppity." And he was one of the first to mock Ms. Clinton's laugh, saying "what do you make of the cackle?" In his eyes, she's Maleficent, a full-on Disney witch. Matthews has questioned whether a woman can lead: "[L]et's talk about the troops... Will they take the orders?" and on another occasion, wondered, "Is she hemmed in by the fact that she's a woman and can't admit a mistake, or else the Republicans will say, 'Oh, that's a woman's prerogative to change her mind,' or 'another fickle woman'? Is her gender a problem in her ability to change her mind?" Because obviously, women can't make up their minds. Ever! Clinton's personal life isn't even off-limits; Matthews has mused, "Is she a convincing mom?" Has Mr. Matthews ever asked if any of the male candidates look like convincing dads? Would he dare pinch John McCain's cheek? The 62-year-old news anchor went to Catholic schools; does Hillary need to smack his knuckles with a ruler before she can gain is respect? And can we agree that no matter what your political allegiances, this is not the way you speak of a woman — whether she is a senator or not?